“Standin’” is a quiet, powerful song about conscience — about the moment when a person must choose between following orders and following what they know is right. Set against a tense border crossing in the dark, the song traces one man’s irreversible decision to step away from authority and toward humanity. It isn’t a protest anthem or a political speech; it’s a personal reckoning. At its heart, Standin’ is about dignity, moral courage, and the simple, costly act of standing where your heart tells you to stand.

Lyrics

Working the median, northbound five
San Ysidro midnight, the shadows arrive
A papa and his kids — the oldest maybe nine
Dodging the semis, defying the line

Got ‘em all safe to a patch on the side
Papa grabbed my sleeve, he started to cry
“Salimos de El Salvador, sin-vuelta atrás
Por … enseñar … me quieren matar”

(We ain’t goin back, for my teaching, they want to kill me)

Oh Everybody’s got the right to be standing
Put away the badge and resist the commanding
Every Family’s got the right … to be free

I loaded them up in my Ram Charger ride
Headed out east, just off the 905
I didn’t look back — just opened the door
“Cuídate,” I said, I saw them no more

Oh Everybody’s got the right to be standing
Put away the badge and resist the commanding
Every Family’s got the right … to be free

That’s when I knew I was done with the game
Couldn’t pretend it was righteous or sane
It tore me in half, so I stepped off the line
If it comes from a king … that order declined!

Oh Everybody’s got the right to be standing
Put away the badge and resist the commanding
Every Family’s got the right … to be free
Oh Everybody’s got the right to be standing
Throw away the badge and resist the commanding
Every Family’s got the right … to be free!